DENVER — Stigmas surrounding mental health care within Hispanic cultures continue to be a reason why many Hispanic families do not seek mental help, according to licensed psychologist Dr. Sheryl Ziegler.
Hispanic families don't want to be seen as mentally ill or unfit, so they don't talk about mental problems, Ziegler said. Hispanic families feel more comfortable talking about physical illnesses, so they end up talking about things like back pain, headaches, joint pain or fatigue, and it's what leads some to see their doctor.
Zeigler said that if people don't have a culturally competent doctor, that doctor will prescribe medications or order blood tests without realizing that "it's a really common Hispanic manifestation to take your mental illness and turn it into a physical illness."
Under the umbrella of what is considered Hispanic, different subcultures have different rates of what is considered mental illness, she said.
"Puerto Ricans, which I'm half of, are almost the highest, at like around 28% [that] would be considered to have a diagnosable mental health condition," Ziegler said, adding that of that percentage, only about 10% seek treatment and that that is mostly the case across the board.
"So we have higher percentages in some Hispanic subcultures that have mental health issues that are not getting treated," she said. "I mean, 10% is so, so low."
Some ways to address mental health stigmas are having culturally competent doctors who understand these issues and removing language barriers, she said.
"If you have someone who speaks Spanish and you don't speak Spanish, get an interpreter in your office," she said. "Maybe you have one day of the week where that interpreter is there, and that's where you see your Spanish-speaking patients."
She said that over the past couple of months, a focus has been placed on general practitioners because people don't usually start with psychologists – they start with doctors they trust or who they go to for their kid or for themselves.
She said inviting family members to accompany patients to appointments is also very important in Hispanic cultures.
"Invite them in," she said. "That's how we function."
Zeigler also said it's also important to talk about psychological education with Hispanic families. Talk about depression, anxiety and common children's health conditions, such as ADHD, that families might not know about or have the language for.
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